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Entries in Beauty vs Beast (252)

Monday
Jan282019

Beauty vs Beast: Forgiveness Among Friends

Jason from MNPP here, right upfront with an apology for what I'm about to do to you all with this week's "Beauty vs Beast" -- unfortunately for all of us we've reached the "look at the movies that are being nominated for awards" part of the year which is forcing me, just forcing me, to make us all choose between the bitter besties of the perfect (if you ask me) Can You Ever Forgive Me? from director Marielle Heller.

Both Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. grant happily and deservedly secured Oscar nominations for their performances as the wrter Lee Israel and her partner-in-crime and bourbon Jack Hock, but for all their chumminess they're also often taking adversarial stances in the film, given the cobustiveness of both their characters. So even if we hate to bust up one of the greatest gay duos ever put on screen like this, we're still gonna ask...

 

PREVIOUSLY Speaking of Awards Nominated Duos, last week's The Favourite bout crowned Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) by a pretty substantial margin. (3/4s of the vote, if you're wondering.) Said Roger:

"Team Sarah, no question. While this is Stone best performance to date, for me, it’s a tossup between Weisz and Colman for MVP. A tragic, deeply felt love story between Sarah and Queen Anne hides in plain sight. When it sneaks up on you in their final scene together between the door, it elevates what is already an entirely enjoyable film and recontextualiizes everything. Sarah was and always will be the favourite. Also, there is no doubt that all three are leading roles. I also share the belief that if the Oscar doesn’t go to King as I expect, Weisz wins her second."

Monday
Jan212019

Beauty vs Beast: Queen Anne's Choice

Happy Oscar Nominations Eve, everybody! Jason from MNPP here with this week's "Beauty vs Beast" which this week shall tackle one of the probable juggernauts nomination-wise tomorrow, or so we hope -- Yorgos Lanthimos' giddily profane The Favourite boasts a triumverate for the ages, with Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) sitting astride two wars, the more interesting one between her comely, craven subjects Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) and cousin Abagail (Emma Stone). Everybody's predicting richkly deserved nominations for all three (while simultaneously bickering about their Lead vs Supporting placement) but we're more interested where you'd come down from Queen Anne's place...

 

PREVIOUSLY Last week you guys wisely took Joan's advice and didn't fuck with her, fellas - Faye Dunaway's stark-raving turn in Mommie Dearest trampled through the roses to a win of just under 80%. Said Roger:

"I love MOMMIE DEAREST. In terms of Oscar eligibility, Faye Dunaway absolutely should have won the Oscar. Her performance is incredible and almost experimental. I think this is a rare example where the overused remark of losing one’s self in a role is warranted. The line between Faye Dunaway and Joan Crawford is blurred beyond distinction. Both actresses are so enthralling that seeing one as the other, Dunaway as Crawford, is so electrifying it borders on hyperreality."

Monday
Jan142019

Beauty vs Beast: Why Must EVERYTHING Be a Contest?

Jason from MNPP here - I'm sure if Faye Dunaway were to come to The Film Experience and stumble upon us wishing her a happy 78th birthday here today with a Mommie Dearest themed edition of our "Beauty vs Beast" poll she'd roll her eyes in that certain way she does that makes you quake in your slippers and utter some four-letter word... and that's just why we love her. She may not love the movie that turned her knobs up to Full Camp and then snapped right off, but we do, and we always will - her stratopheric take on Joan Crawford has the stuff of myth about it, as if she squeezed heaven and hell like a wet rag and drank down every last drop right before they said "Action!" That said... Joan's a tough vote all the same! 

 

PREVIOUSLY I think this is the first time this has ever happened, y'all - we ended with a tie on last week's poll! Mahershala Ali's performance in Green Book & Rami Malek's turn as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody came down 50/50. So I guess we'll go with the most magnaminous comment then... said lylee:

"Recognizing these were both problematic movies, I still really enjoyed them - and these performances. Fine acting by a couple of fiiine men. I pick Don because I have a soft spot for brilliant pianists and Freddie seems like he'd get exhausting after a while."

Monday
Jan072019

Beauty vs Beast: Any Way the Wind Blows

Jason from MNPP here, fresh from a weekend stuck on the sofa nursing a stomach flu, and that was even before Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody won top prizes at the Globes last night. On that sour note, I give you this week's "Beauty vs Beast" poll. Best to get these movies out of the way now, since I think (and hope and pray) that this might signify the peak of their awards run. As Nathaniel pointed out in his Globes take this morning...

"Both are films which have been accused of having their true stories of queer musicians diluted or significantly fictionalized by the people doing the telling (former bandmates in the case of Bohemian Rhapsody and the family of an employee in the case of Green Book)."

There exists in the ether of our imaginations two fascinating movies about Freddie Mercury and Dr. Don Shirley, full of sharp insights about race and sexuality in times and places that warped these men while simultaneously feeding off their talents, but those movies will have to, for the time, stay in our imagination. This is what we got.

 

PREVIOUSLY Way back before the holidays we faced down Dame Julie Andrews' two most iconic roles, and even though Mary Poppins can fly the saintly Maria took it to the mountain-top and spun herself up a win with 56% of your vote. Said Joel:

"Watching the precocious Maria makes me so happy that I want to yodel-lay-hee-hoo off a damn Alp.

Monday
Dec172018

Beauty vs Beast: Dame Julie, If You're Nasty

Jason Adams of MNPP here with our last "Beauty vs Beast" until the New Year, and what better way to ring out an exhausting 2018 than with a spoonful full of sugar to make all that bitter medicine go down -- the according-to-me scrumdiddlyumptious Mary Poppins Returns is hitting theaters this week and so let's get our Dame Julie Andrews on with a show-down between her two top roles, a frisky Alpine nun and a nanny from the stars... 

 

PREVIOUSLY Never underestimate the power of poetry, yall -- in our re-match between Shakespease in Love and Saving Private Ryan once again twas the Bard who came out on top, with 70% of your vote. Said par:

"The pen is mightier than the sword."

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